In Want of a Wife Jane Austen’s Reaction to Marriage

The romantic era in literature was characterized by many different authors, male and female. Jane Austen was only one of many authors in that era, and one of the longest lasting; through her many novels, she shows various views on love and marriage. In Jane Austen’s critically acclaimed novel, Pride and Prejudice, Austen spares no character, male or female, in her criticism of the understood custom that the only route to happiness was marriage. Jane Austen never married which influenced her portrayal of marriage throughout many of her novels. Every character exposes different marital standards expected in the time period. In a biography about Jane Austen, edited by Jack Lynch, Rosemary Reisman explains that while neither Jane Austen nor†¦show more content†¦Her marriage to Wickham helps to set up her future happiness, not from love, but because it avoids her alienation from society. In the romantic era, any woman who was caught or was rumored to have had an extramarital affair was ostracized from society. This is a big concern for the Bennet girls (whom before the quick elopement, none were married), because it reflects badly on the family and the other girls. When Mr. Collins found out about Lydia’s choice, he expressed his deepest condolences. He wasted no time in expressing his knowledge to Mr. Bennet that â€Å"the death of your daughter would have been a blessing compared to this† (281); because, at least with the death of Lydia, the family would have been spared the embarrassment of raising a harlot. Some of the societal disgrace is avoided with Lydia’s marriage, it would have been worse for the family had she not been found and forced to wed. Her marriage illustrates the reality of the pressures young woman felt to marry. Lydia is too immature to understand her the consequence of her actions, but her sister Mary acknowledges the implications of Lydia’s choice. She tries to explain the lesson that all the Bennet girls will learn â€Å"that loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable; that one false step involves her in endless ruin; that her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful; and that she cannot be too much guarded in her behavior towards the undeserving of the other sex (275).Show MoreRelated The Lovable Mrs. Bennet of Pride and Prejudice Essay2815 Words   |  12 Pages impression of Austens novels, which critic D. W. 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